San Francisco's government is about to undergo big changes. Thanks to 2024's Prop E, a new Commission Streamlining Task Force is hard at work studying our commission system and preparing recommendations to improve it.

The Current State

Commissions can serve vital roles in our city government, but layers of rules have made them unable to work effectively or efficiently. Policy improvements get caught up in ideological gridlock, thousands of hours of staff and citizen time is wasted in redundant processes, and progress grinds to a halt.

San Francisco has many more commissions than cities of much bigger than itself, and a unique structure that limits the mayor's ability to govern the city. Here’s an example of the breadth of commissions our government has:

• San Francisco has over 150 commissions with more than 1,200 commissioners—far more than comparable cities
• Some commissions are central and well-known—like the Police Commission, Planning Commission, and MTA Board—but many others operate with limited impact or overlapping functions
• Vacancy rates run high—roughly 15% of seats are often unfilled—meaning many commissions can’t meet due to lack of quorum
• 21 commissions are considered "borderline inactive" – meaning they barely ever meet or are more than 25% vacant

This sprawling, fragmented system can slow down decision-making and blur responsibility, leading our city government to prioritize process over outcomes.

What Is The Commission Streamlining Task Force?

Prop E, passed by voters in November 2024, created a Commission Streamlining Task Force. Made up of appointees from the City Administrator, Controller, City Attorney, the Mayor, and an organized labor representative chosen by the Board of Supervisors, its mission is to conduct a comprehensive review of the city’s commission system and propose reforms.

While the Commission Streamlining Task Force doesn’t directly eliminate or restructure commissions, it will make high-quality recommendations that lay the blueprint for meaningful, evidence-based overhaul. The Task Force is already holding public meetings, soliciting input, and preparing recommendations for how San Francisco can make governance faster, clearer, and more accountable.

Commission Reform Timeline

Here's the key schedule for when the Commission Streamlining Task Force is expected to deliver its work:

• By September 1, 2025: The Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Legislative Analyst will publish a financial report showing current commission system costs and potential savings from consolidation or elimination.
• By February 1, 2026: The Task Force submits its final recommendations—on which commissions to modify, consolidate, or eliminate—to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. If any charter reforms are necessary based on the final recommendations, the City Attorney shall prepare the charter reform ballot measures.
• By April 1, 2026: The Board of Supervisors must hold a hearing on the recommendations and any draft charter amendments. The Board is not obligated to bring any charter reforms to the ballot. However, if the task force introduces regular ordinances to reform the commissions that exist in the municipal code, the ordinances would be deemed approved unless the Board rejects them with a two-thirds supermajority.
• November 3, 2026: Any charter amendments will go before voters in the next regular election

Recommendations

The Commission Streamlining Task Force has completed its first review of all 150 boards and commissions and issued initial recommendations for each. Their November 7 decision log offers the clearest picture yet of how they plan to simplify the system and refocus accountability.

Big picture: San Francisco needs fewer commissions

Out of 150 bodies reviewed:

• 66 (44%) would be eliminated under the Task Force’s recommendations. Many of the commissions are inactive, duplicative, or can be replaced by internal “passive” working groups instead of formal commissions.
• An additional 12 (8%) would be given a sunset date. Unless the Board of Supervisors re-authorizes them, those bodies will automatically wind down—forcing a periodic check on whether they still serve a real purpose.
• 7 (5%) would switch from governance roles—with direct control over hiring, firing, or budgets—to advisory roles. Advisory commissions still provide oversight and recommendations, but the Mayor and departments would regain clearer lines of authority.

In practice, this means San Francisco would have fewer, more clearly defined commissions—and fewer zombie bodies that rarely meet or can’t reach quorum.

Simpler member appointments and removals

The Task Force also focused on streamlining how commissioners get into office and how they can be removed:

• 21 bodies (14%) shift to “at will” removal, making it easier for elected leaders to replace commissioners who are ineffective, not just those who have committed misconduct.
• 9 bodies (6%) have simplified appointments, such as removing extra confirmation steps for mayoral appointees, allowing appointments to take effect more quickly.

Term limits and shorter term lengths

The Task Force also tried to curb the problem of commissioners lingering indefinitely in powerful roles:

• 44 bodies (29%) add a term limit where none existed before.
• 11 bodies (7%) see term lengths reduced, so seats turn over more often.

What this means for voters

If the Board of Supervisors follow through on these recommendations, San Francisco will end up with:

• Fewer commissions overall
• Clearer lines of authority between the Mayor, department heads, and commissions
• More member accountability and turnover through term limits, shorter term lengths, and at will removal

You can explore the recommendations for each commission in our interactive table below.

Source: https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/2025-11-07_CSTF_Decision_Log_R1.pdf